Court Subpoenas Malami, Magu, Emefiele, Others To Testify In Maina’s Graft Trial

 Chuka Callys Mbamaluh

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria,has issued a subpoena compelling the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and former Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to appear before it and testify in the ongoing graft case involving the Chairman of the defunct Pension Reforms Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.

The subpoena, signed on March 8,2021 by Justice Okon Abang, the presiding Judge,also requested the presence of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, and others to appear before the Court on March 9, March 10 and March 11 to give their testimony in the matter.

Others who were also subpoenaed included Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); M. Mustapha of Zenith Bank, Abuja; Hassan Salihu of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC); G.T. Idris also from ICPC; retired Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Wakil, and Chief Kenneth Amabem.

Others are Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Kennedy Uzoka; Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; Ibrahim Kaigama of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies( NIPSS), Jos and Director of Compliance with CBN.

The document addressed to Malami and Magu read: “You are commanded in the name of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend before this Court at Court 6, on 9th, 10th, 11th day of March 2021 at 9 o’clock in the forenoon, and so from day to day till the above case is tied, to give evidence on behalf of the 1st defendant.”

Mr. Maina is standing trial for allegedly laundering money to the tune of N2 billion.

The first defence witness in the case, Ngozika Ihuoma, had while giving his evidence-in-chief, alleged that EFCC under Magu misappropriated 222 property worth N1.63 trillion recovered by the Maina-led PRTT.

… Maina.

He further alleged that Magu had sold most of the property to his friends and associates.

Ihuoma also told the Court that AGF and the National Security Adviser (NSA) met with Maina in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) in January 2016.

“After the meeting in Dubai, Maina gave the delegation intelligence report that led to the recovery of N1.3 trillion out of the N3 trillion promised to recover,”the witness submitted.